The Man She Couldn’t Refuse – Chapter Four

Man Ban. She was on a freaking Man Ban. She wasn’t supposed to want like this. But how could she not react to that? Now she understood why he was so outrageously confident. He knew how to kiss.

Well, duh. Of course he did. Hadn’t she seen him often enough—kissing his girlfriend of the week? He’d dated the most beautiful, most desirable girls of their town just North of Sydney. All his own age, many older, ringing through the changes as frequently as pro footballers swapped their shirts. But after Becca had said no, he’d never looked in her corner again. And he’d never looked at Tess who sat beside her and who’d been pining for him for so long. She’d been the one dragging Becca back to the café day after day.

Becca had never explained to Tess what had happened that one time she’d gone to the café alone. She didn’t want to hurt her BFF, that was the whole point. But now Tess was happy. And now Becca was supposed to be doing her own thing.

Doing what she wanted.

Becca stepped up to him, because what she’d said to that other guy was true—for once, she wanted to be pleased. The lust Levi fired in her? She didn’t know which was the greater risk—to act on it, or ignore it. But she needed to know what he had in mind.

“You got plans for me, Flash?”

“Unfinished business.” Levi nodded. “Seems to me we ought to catch up and talk old times.”

“Talk?”

“It’s a well-known phenomenon that people from the same place bond together when travelling on foreign soil.”

“Bond?”

He smiled at her. And that was all it took.

“I have half a tank to go,” she said. “It should only take a few minutes.”

“May I watch?”

The way he infused that question with the naughty was quite some skill. She tossed her head, taking up the challenge in his expression. She’d been such a shy nerd—such a quiet sheep following her louder, confident friends.

“Alright.” She sized him up. “You can be my groupie. Five paces behind.”

“Groupie?” His nostrils flared. “Not a bodyguard?”

“I don’t need a bodyguard.”

“So you fend off unwanted feel-ups with your pistols all by your pretty self?”

“Soda in the eye stings worse than onion juice.”

He chuckled. “I bet.”

“I haven’t actually had to do it.”

He leaned in close. “You didn’t shoot me in the eye.”

He hadn’t given her a chance.

“Why would I give up the opportunity to experience something with someone so skilled?” she cooed.

“Ah, so that’s what you really think of me.” He slapped his hand on his heart like she’d mortally wounded him. “But you know, this beach is teaming with guys who’ve slept with way more women than I have.”

She glared at him as he winked. He knew she’d just been making up a tart put-down.

“Don’t look so fierce, you’ll scare off your customers,” he teased.

“Actually, I’ve learned they like a woman with spirit.” She pushed past him and smiled at his sudden frown. “Don’t you look so fierce, you’re the one scaring them off.”

“Maybe you’re the one who should be scared. They could easily turn on you and you couldn’t get away. Now how would you handle that in your sexy warrior heroine outfit?”